Here's my recommended ballot:
- Psianh Auvyander - Of course! Ensuring that I have enough number one votes is essential to my chances, so be sure and put me there!
- June Ting - June's an incredible candidate. The leader of a sov-holding newbie-friendly alliance in a newbie-friendly coalition, she has not only a unique worldview and experience, but the knowledge and intelligence to put it to good use.
- Bam Stroker - Bam has been one of the consistently recommended candidates across the board from every type of person, and that's no coincidence. Bam's done a bang-up job (get it?) on so many community projects, even putting half that dedication into the CSM will mean amazing things. His outreach and voice will go a long way to getting people interested and engaged, too.
- Mike Azariah - I had the pleasure of hanging out with a half naked Mike at Fanfest last year (it was in the Blue Lagoon, ok?) and was totally sold on the guy from that point forward. And if that weren't enough for you, just take a look at everything his fellow CSM members say about him (HINT: It's all positive). He's one of the few representatives "carebears" have, and he does a great job at so much more.
- Sugar Kyle - Again, one of the candidates that receives nothing but glowing praise from fellow CSM members and is known as the hardest working member. People often forget how much effort goes into being a CSM member, much less being a good one. Sugar knocks it out of the park.
- Steve Ronuken - Steve represents a niche of players that are so important, but that I didn't even realize needed representation until he came along. I would hate to see him not be a part of CSM (that means you're in it forever, Steve), and what would happen to the quality of our 3rd party tools if he did. Make sure he stays, whether he's running or not.
- Manfred Sideous - Manny is considered one of the most knowledgeable players in the game when it comes to mechanics. I've never dealt with him personally, but I know that when I look at the state of the game now, I want the best and brightest beside me when trying to come up with solid solutions.
- Xander Phoena - Like Bam, Xander is another candidate who has the ability to get people involved. And make no mistake: the CSM's power comes from the players.
- Jayne Fillon - Pretty much the go-to name for NPSI, Jayne would be able to represent another important and rising culture in EVE, and that's what the CSM is for. It's obvious CCP is trying to support these communities from the minutes, and having his voice be directly in the meeting would go a long way to making sure it came out the other end correctly.
- Endie - While he probably doesn't need my support, Endie has been an incredibly rational and intelligent voice concerning the woes of nullsec. He's got a really interesting take on the player engagement side of EVE too.
- Ashterothi - Ash has been another candidate that has received a lot of praise, especially from the newer player community. I can't agree more.
- Corbexx - Not only a wormhole incumbent (and also pretty much the only wormhole candidate you should be voting for), but Corbexx has been lauded by other CSM members as a quiet, but very hard working individual. I've heard stories that he's personally put together information that has helped shape CCP opinion simply because of the loads of data he was able to collect. That's the kind of member you want on the CSM.
And the last two? Well, it's tougher here. There are some good candidates, but no one I'd feel 100% comfortable recommending. Fill those spots with candidates that struck a chord with you, just don't leave them blank.
We've been blessed with a wealth of candidates this year, a lot of them really good choices, so do your small part and vote for people who are going to work hard and do well. I've heard that your voting ballot saves between logins, so for those of you with multiple accounts it should go really smoothly! (Smart move by the way, CCP).
As for the title of this post, I've been absolutely staggered by the amount of support I've received from the community at large. You can see all the ballots that have included me in this post, and it's been absolutely humbling to be included in so many by so many people I respect. I hope that I have the opportunity to do right by them, and to do right by you.
